


Constants through Change

by chlodobird



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Gen, Happy Ending, Identity Reveal, Light Angst, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Miraculous Side Effects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:28:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27073474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chlodobird/pseuds/chlodobird
Summary: Having a Miraculous has side effects. The magic of the Miraculi tends to call to magic. If a Miraculous Wielder had magical ancestors, the Miraculous makes it manifest.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Plagg, Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki
Comments: 25
Kudos: 144





	Constants through Change

Marinette was pinning some pleats into a shirt when Tikki sighed and said, “Have you noticed anything strange recently?”

She paused in her pinning to think, but shook her head. “Why?”

“Because the Miraculi have . . . side effects.”

“Like what?”

“Every Ladybug is a little different,” Tikki hedged.

Marinette put down her pins to interrogate her kwami. “Stop avoiding the point!”

“If you haven’t noticed anything, I don’t want to make you paranoid!”

“Tikki,” she said sternly.

The kwami sighed. “Among other things . . . the magic of the Miraculi tends to call to magic. If you have any magic in your blood, it’ll be strengthened. There’s other Ladybug-specific side effects, but I can’t predict them.”

“Will it affect being Ladybug? I can’t put Paris in danger.”

“You might have a longer timer.”

Marinette grinned. “That’s a good thing, though!”

Tikki flew forward. “The longer your timer, the faster the effects develop! Marinette, you have to be careful. I’m mentioning this because you have to be able to adjust to the changes.”

“I’ll be fine, Tikki. I’ve got you!”

The kwami didn’t look convinced, but she smiled, and let Marinette go back to her pinning.

A month later, Marinette was studying, and Tikki squinted at the girl. Everyone had a faint magical aura, but Marinette’s magic had strengthened slightly. Tikki kept quiet to avoid disturbing her chosen’s homework, but resolved to mention it if it got too much stronger.

  
  


“Chat, did you kwami mention anything about side-effects?”

“A couple months ago, yeah.”

The pair were sitting at the top of the Eiffel Tower, and Ladybug looked out over the sea of lights. “I feel different. A little . . . cramped. Like I don’t fit in my skin.”

Chat glanced at her. “Huh. I don’t feel anything like that.”

“Tikki said that every person was different.”

“Plagg wasn’t nearly that helpful. He just said that there would be some side effects, and then demanded cheese,” he groaned.

Ladybug explained what Tikki had told her and continued, “I don’t know if it’s the Ladybug side effects or the Miraculous ones.”

“Could go either way. Have you talked to Tikki about that feeling yet?”

“No. She’s seen Ladybugs get side effects before, but I don’t know that she can really understand the feeling, you know?”

“Yeah. I don’t feel cramped though,” he said thoughtfully. “I guess, I feel like something’s missing. I don’t know what it is, but I have to find it.”

Ladybug nodded, and they sat in companionable silence until they had to go.

“If anything changes for you, we can set up another meeting after an akuma.”

Chat nodded. “Same for you.”

It had been six months since Tikki and Plagg mentioned side effects, and Alya was planning a group beach trip. “Now that Nino has a license, we can get to the proper ocean! Southern Brittany’s about a five hour drive.”

Marinette said hesitantly, “I’ll have to think about it.”

When she got home, Tikki reassured her, “If there’s an akuma, you can take the Horse and portal back here! Go have fun with your friends.”

She sent a simple text to Alya.

I’m in.

Later that night Chat asked nervously, “If I go out of town for a weekend, can you handle the akumas with just the temporary heroes?”

“Of course! You deserve a break, kitty. Have fun!”

They raced through Paris, and ended up on the Arc de Triomphe. “I win,” Ladybug said breathlessly.

“No way, I got here first!”

She laughed and looked up at the cloudy sky. After a couple seconds, she said softly, “I’ve been more drawn to the stars.”

“Side effect?”

“Yeah.”

By this point, she had confided in him about everything she noticed: feeling cramped in her body, sharper vision, drawn to heights, and of course, being entranced by the stars.

He’d done the same for her, telling her about something missing, and after a certain point, the growing emptiness. The tug towards something far away.

“It feels like I was born with another arm, and it got cut off when I was born and I never noticed that it was missing until now,” he had said one night on the verge of tears. All Ladybug had been able to do was pull him into her arms and murmur soothing reassurances.

Neither of them had told their kwamis yet.

“At least stars are nice,” Chat said quietly.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could make your magic easier for you.”

“I didn’t mean that. You’re still feeling cramped, right?”

“Like an eagle in a sparrow’s body.”

“Just because we’re changing differently doesn’t mean that we’re not both affected,” he said gently.

Ladybug sighed. “I just wish the magic would hurry up already.”

“Tikki said the beginning was slower, didn’t she? You just figured out the heights thing a couple weeks ago, but it was three months in between figuring out the cramped idea and the vision change.”

“You’re right. It’s accelerating.”

Chat scooted closer, and Ladybug leaned into him. “Thanks, kitty. I’m just worried. I don’t want to talk to Tikki about it. You’re the only one who understands how it feels.”

“Plagg hasn’t asked. I think he gets that I don’t want to talk about it with anyone but you.”

Ladybug nodded. “But I think . . . If another week passes without something clicking, I’m going to make myself talk to Tikki.”

“I’ll join you on that deal, then.”

They stared at the stars and the city for a while longer, but Chat finally stretched and got up. “I have to go.”

“Me too.” She caught his eye and added seriously, “I hope you figure out what you’re missing. Maybe a vacation will help.”

“Thanks. I hope you figure out why you feel so cramped.”

As they drove closer to the ocean, Marinette watched Adrien nearly vibrating with barely contained anticipation.

“Are you excited for the beach?” she giggled.

“Huh?”

When he glanced at her, it wasn’t happiness on his face, but something more distant. “Is something wrong?”

He rubbed his chest absently, and said, “No, I just feel a bit weird. It’s nothing.”

She patted his shoulder, and said, “Let us know if you’re feeling sick, and we can pull over.”

He hummed in assent, and went back to staring out the window.

They crested a hill, and the empty beach and ocean spread out in front of them. Adrien gasped a little, and from the front seat, Alya said happily, “Just a couple more minutes until we’re there!”

Marinette was suddenly thankful she was wearing her swim shorts and tankini under her shirt, because the water looked incredibly inviting. The others had done the same, as they hadn’t been sure if there would be anywhere to change. The beach was fairly empty, and she grinned as they parked. The instant the car stopped moving, Adrien burst out and sprinted for the water.

Marinette would have let him go on ahead, but she had seen the wild look in his eyes, and she instinctively ran after him.

“Fine, leave us here to unload the blankets!” Alya laughinly called. “Nino and I are happy without you two!”

Marinette ignored her, and raced into the water. She heard Adrien laughing, but as she got closer, she saw tears in his eyes.

“It’s the ocean. I found what I was missing,” he said desperately.

Everything clicked, and Marinette folded him into a hug. “Kitty, I’m so happy for you.”

He froze, but apparently he made the same connection she had, because he relaxed into her arms. They cried together for another five minutes, and finally Adrien pulled away, though he kept their hands tangled together.

“It’s you.”

“It’s me.”

Tikki floated up in between them and said happily, “It’s been ages since a Chosen has had selkie blood.”

“You knew?”

“Nope! Adrien’s reaction to the ocean made it obvious.”

“Don’t selkies have a coat, or something?” Adrien said slowly.

Tikki smiled. “You’ll probably find one if you dive down into the ocean. She knows her selkies.”

Adrien cast an appraising look out towards the horizon.

Marinette let him have a moment to think about his coat, but finally asked, “Do we have to give up our Miraculi now that we know each other’s identities?”

Plagg flew out of Adrien’s jacket pocket and hissed, “If anyone tried to take your Miraculi away from you two, I’m breaking Paris myself.”

Tikki nodded. “You two are Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

Marinette almost started crying again, but she pushed it down. “Do you know what I am?”

“The magic latched onto a drop of angel blood.”

Adrien’s jaw dropped, but Marinette closed her eyes and murmured, “That feels right.”

“Angels are real?”

“Well, not like the ones in the Bible,” Plagg said practically. “They’re just more magical creatures, and people used them in their creation myths as angels, demons, gods, and so on.”

“So what’s going to happen to me?”

Tikki launched into an explanation. “You’ve been growing metaphysically. Soon, you’ll be able to pull parts of your true body into the physical plane. Wings, extra eyes. You’ll be able to glow. You’ll be fairly strong, too, though that will probably manifest last.”

Marinette grinned. “Sounds good for being a superhero.”

Adrien gave her a hug, and stepped out a little further. “Take care of Plagg. I’m going to find my skin this afternoon.”

“Good luck!”

He vanished beneath the waves and Marinette stayed in the shallow area, deep in thought.

“Girl, what happened? Nino and I thought you and Adrien were about to make out in the middle of the ocean.”

Marinette jumped. Alya and Nino had completely slipped her mind. “Oh. Nothing happened.”

Alya finally noticed the look on her face. “You okay? You look like he just told you that you were adopted.”

“I’m fine,” she said reflexively. “Just . . . thinking. Mind if I have some space for now?”

Alya gave her another intense look, but nodded. “You know you can tell me anything.”

She left, and Marinette waded out a bit further. “Tikki? Why am I drawn to the stars?”

The kwami stared up at the sky. “Because stars are how angels are born, and space is where they spend most of their time.”

“I could go there,” Marinette said with sudden certainty. “I could find other angels.”

Tikki looked sad. “Other angel chosens have done that.”

In the background, Nino squawked in surprise and Alya laughed happily. Ahead of her, Adrien’s head dipped below the surface again and again. The breeze was soft on Marinette’s face, the sand was warm, and the waves were soothing.

“Paris is my home,” she said with certainty. “I will protect it.”

“Good,” Tikki said with a smile. “Hawkmoth won’t know what hit him.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! As always, I thrive on comments. feed me, seymour :)


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